Dented Brass. Can I use it?

Maybe some pictures to help us make a decision. Probably OK, but I’d be afraid to say for sure without seeing it.

Sounds like lube dents. They will iron out with firing.

If your working up loads I d start with several at the minimum charge. Lube or other small dents will iron out. If you have an established load drop back to the starting.

https://www.reddit.com/r/reloading/comments/7wo3hh/can_i_reload_this_brass_answered

I personally wouldn't reload brass that is THAT far gone, but brass is basically just a balloon when you fire the rifle. It expands and forms a seal against the chamber walls. As long as there aren't deep gouges or cracks, I load it.

I would reload every single case in that reddit thread as long as no material was removed from the case and no cracks have formed.

I've been reloading brass like that for years and it looks like regular fired brass when it leaves the gun.

GrandpaD said:

I bought a bag of 30-30 range brass that has 25 pieces that have dents in the area of the neck. Some have several dents and others have one small dent. Can these pieces of brass still be reloaded? If so will they straighten out when fired?

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As long as the brass has no cracks or holes and as long as it can be resized and will chamber in the gun it can be used.

There is a proviso. You don't know how many times range brass has been reloaded and you don't know if there is dirt or an insect nest in it. You should run a bent wire (a paperclip works) down the inside of the case to feel for an irregularity that could indicate an incipient head separation and to dislodge any dirt, etc.

Case head separation occurs when the shoulders of a bottle neck cartridge that head spaces on the shoulders have been pushed back. 30/30 cartridges head space on the rim. While it’s a good idea to be aware of case head separation and how to test for it I never hear of it occurring in rimmed cartridges. But I’m guessing a really sloppy lever action receiver could contribute to it.

Welcome to THR!
Pictures would help but in general brass dents that don’t iron out from resizing will iron out from firing. Keep in mind depending on the dent it could reduce internal case volume. Reload away. Good luck.

If you use an expander and it can enter the neck, it should iron out dents in that area.

whughett said:

Case head separation occurs when the shoulders of a bottle neck cartridge that head spaces on the shoulders. . .

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Head separation can occur in any cartridge with a shoulder; how the SAAMI drawing defines headspace (shoulder or rim) is irrelevant.

Excessively pushing the shoulder back on a .30/30 or .375 H&H will lead to head separations as surely as any other cartridge. You still need to measure shoulder position, and check for incipient thinning.

Thanks, my understanding all these years was that it occurred when a case that head spaced on its shoulder sat too far forward off the breech face. On firing the thinner shoulder area expanded locking the case against the chamber walls. Pressure could then push the case rearward until stopped by the bolt face. Brass at those pressures becomes plastic and the thicker walls at the rear of the case would literally flow forward. The separation starts at the web. Its also why neck thickness needs to be checked and
possible trimmed on some rounds.
Cases that headspace on their rims would not normally do this as the case dose t move rearward being trapped between the bolt face and the chamber recess. Of course a sloppy bolt lock up could also move rearward.

@whughett, your understanding of the mechanism is exactly right, but the rim (or belt) partially constraining forward movement of the brass doesn't completely eliminate stretching of the case if it's been oversized. It might reduce how much occurs each cycle, but not to zero. The brass can still move forward at least a bit (frequently far more than "a bit") and subsequently stretch.

Resize them, then decide.

My limit is if there are sharp folds that will produce a weak spot. Like a completely flattened neck/mouth. Those ate toast. Likewise if there is a gouge in the brass. That will be a weak spot. An inwards dent will blow out in 99% of cases with no damage.